Write this on your hand

Hi Guys

Please let me rephrase "1" in my earlier post.

Having coached 12 and under ball for 14 seasons, (we have two seasons a year down here in Houston), and having taught hundreds of coaching clinics in hundreds of leagues all over the country for the last 7 years since "Bean's" was first published, I have never seen an effective breaking pitch thrown from 46 feet. The ball actually has to do it's break in about 40 feet, since the pitcher releases it about 4 to 5 feet in front of the rubber, and the average contact point is out front of the plate.

I have on video tape a film of the Little League world series televised a few years ago...the one where the pitcher with the scarey curveball turned out to be 14 or 15 years old from the Pacific Champion team...which was disqualified when it came out.

In that video, the announcer just kept on and on about that wonderful curveball. The best ones broke about four inches...three inches of which occurred BEHIND the would be contact point of a swung bat. In other words, between the batter's contact point and the catcher's mitt.

It is simply physics. I made a living throwing curveballs and knucklers and I cannot throw a curveball worthy of noticing in 40 feet.

Best regards
Ken Bean